Long before there was ever a kit car market, there were bugs (Volkswagens from Germany, not the crawly kind). After folks discovered how much fun they could have with them in their stock state, they soon began modifying them, sometimes cutting them up to form new cars and even swapping the half-moon-shaped bodies for new fiberglass creations; thus an aftermarket industry was born.
Since the early '60s, VWs have provided a base to work from for folks who wanted an updated shape on a simple pan-based chassis. In the late '60s, the Southern California-based Bug-In car shows began, glorifying all that was VW. The Bug-Ins ceased in the mid-'80s, but the folks who organized that event started a new one in 1984 in nearby Irvine, California, and called it the VW Classic. Though it didn't have the drag racing that the old show did, it did have everything else. And, 20 years later, folks are still getting together in mid-June to celebrate that funny little car from Wolfsburg. Every type of VW is well represented, from Westfalia camper buses to Type III Ghias, but there are also a fair amount of dune buggy displays as well as a few Pumas, Devins, and other rare creations tossed into the mix.
The VW Classic is a one-day (Sunday) event, but it caps a four-day-long weekend celebration that starts with a cruise, a VW shop's open house, a VW Bus show (330 pre-'67s attended), a toy and literature show, drag racing at nearby Carlsbad Raceway, as well as a driving rally. If you really like VWs (either restored stockers or all-out customs), then these festivities are a must-attend. For more on next year's show, check the Web site at www.vwclassic.com.